Guilt and Mercy
by Kookiebites13
Summary: Stoick is feeling guilty about Hiccup's injury, but that's not the only thing he's feeling guilty about. Not everyone know what truly happened to the true heir to the tribe. A great chief needs to understand mercy and justice, that's why Stoick's oldest son wants Hiccup to be the chief. Bad summary. Contains OC, but not actually an OC


**A/N: Well folks, it's my first HTTYD fic. I think the characters are OOC. This idea just popped in my mind and I really want to write it! Sorry if it's not too ... um ... Viking-like. It happens after the battle with Green Death.** **Enjoy!**

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It was raining heavily that night on Berk. The thunders are like marching drums, accompanied by striking lightnings in their musical horror symphony. For an odrinary storm, the atmosphere of the weather feels like devastating winter, and Stoick didn't even know if it was truly because of the weather or because of the guilt that he can't get rid of.

It's already been two weeks, and Hiccup is still not giving any sign of waking up soon. He would groan in pain for a few times like he was having nightmares, but then he would be like a dead man again. Stoick never forget the time when he saw his son's missing limb. It keeps giving him nightmares. What would his wife say to him? What would his father say to him? It's bad enough that Hiccup must live the rest of his live with a prosthetic leg, and now, he must deal with the two things that make him feel guilty the most in his life.

Stoick promised to himself that when Hiccup wakes up, he would yell to the whole village that the heir of the tribe is back home. For people who don't know deeper of Stoick the Vast's past, they would've thought that the chief is reffering to Hiccup. But to a close friend like Gobber, it means so much more.

Gobber had been sitting next to him for as long as he can remember, but Stoick didn't say anything. He was too busy rewinding that one moment of his life that made him realize something. Those pair of eyes were the same eyes that he banished years ago. Stoick shouldn't have blamed the owner of those eyes for being something he doesn't want to, heck he didn't even want to become what he is now. Logically it's not his fault, because magic is something that Stoick would never understand. And because of that, he had banished his son.

"It's not like he's not comin' back here anyway, Stoick. You know he will come back. You know that the first person he's going to look for is-" Stoick interrupted him.

"Yes I know, Gobber. But I thought he would hate him. I never thought that he would protect him or even care for him," Stoick sighed and started walking around the room. "Somehow I can't understand him, even both of them! What in Thor's name is wrong with me?"

Gobber swallowed the mead in his mug and burped loudly before responding, "Well that runs in the family."

"Sometimes I wonder if you're the one who Valhallarama chose to marry," Gobber choked, but Stoick doesn't seem to notice, "If that happens, both of them won't need to feel those pain I gave them."

"Stoick, we're done talking about that. I love Valhallarama as much as you do, but I'm not going to force her. And besides, if that happens your sons won't be exist by now, and Snotlout is the heir of the tribe. That's if ... your not married and have a kid, of course," Gobber continued to empty his mug. This time a little bit faster though, the topic always affect whatever he's doing. "That's why I agreed to take Hiccup as my apprentice. Actually I prefer him as his scrawny self rather than a strong viking. If that's what he is now, I'm afraid that old wicked witch is going to after him too,"

"That's why I'm stressed, Gobber! I had a second chance to protect my son, but eventually he just ended up hurt by the old witch, even if he killed her in that battle," Stoick took a seat in front of the fireplace, staring thoughtfully at the dancing flames in front of him while massaging his forehead.

Gobber know that his friend need time to think alone, so he decided to call it a night. "Fine I'll be leaving you alone then. Can I use the spare room?" Stoick nodded, he didn't bother to even face his friend, but Gobber doesn't mind. As long as he can get a nice sleep he's okay with that.

Stoick still sit there for the next couple of hours. He's waiting for someone. But he had decided that if that person didn't come before midnight, he would go to sleep. Just as the thought of the banished son came to his mind again, the front door is slowly slammed open, and a figure walks inside before closing the door again. The figure saw Stoick by the fireplace. Stoick seems like he's not noticing his arrival, so he decided to walk upstairs slowly. Just as he was about to take the first step on the stairs, Stoick speaks.

"_Where do you think you're going?" _Stoick asked. If anyone beside Gobber is there to hear him, they would be surprised.

"_I'm going to sleep."_

Stoick stood from the small wooden chair and walks toward the figure he's talking to. _"Going to sleep, or staying up all night to watch over your brother again?"_

He's not surprised of Stoick's question. Since the battle with Green Death, he never left Hiccup's side, but that night he went to the cove to think of what to do next if his brother isn't going to make it. _No, no, he will! _He reassured himself. _"Watching him breathing is sleep to me."_

Stoick nodded in understanding, and there's silence in the air for a few minutes, except for the thunders and heavy rain from outside. _"I need to speak to you, Raghnall. It's about Hiccup."_

His eyes suddenly focused at him in interest. _"What about him?"_

"_I ... I just want you to know that I won't do the same thing to Hiccup. I won't ruin my second chance."_

The figure Stoick called Raghnall snorted, _"You're talking like you haven't ruined it at all,"_

"_I know what I've done to you. To both of you. And I'm sorry. But I'm willing to try and fix myself. I just need your forgiveness." _Stoick never begged, but his eyes is now pleading for forgiveness. Almost every adult in Berk knows that legally, Hiccup isn't the real heir to the tribe. Stoick's oldest son, Raghnall is.

Raghnall Haddock was a good looking teenager. Not like the scrawny Hiccup, Raghnall has muscles and quite good in fighting and dragon slaying. He was the best. But suddenly he died from an illness, and Stoick forbid everyone except for his wife and Gobber to see the body. Valhallarama was pregnant by the time, and she almost miscarried of sadness. Luckily, Stoick's second child survived and turns out to be a healthy boy. That boy, Hiccup, is the new heir to the tribe. That's what the villager knows.

What Gobber, Valhallarama and Stoick know is that a girl from another tribe fell in love with Raghnall and Raghnall fell in love with her too. Neither of the three minded about it, until they found out that the girl is an old ugly witch, who is the human form of Green Death. Green Death saw Raghnall's strength and intelligent, and Green Death wants to have him as a servant. Green Death turned Raghnall into a dragon, and Stoick saw the transformation himself. Stoick had mistaken him by thinking that he's betraying the tribe, but Stoick can't speak Dragonese, and Raghnall can't speak Norse anymore since he's a dragon. So Stoick does what any other chief would do; he banishes Raghnall from the tribe, and make the villagers think that Raghnall died of illness. He was fourteen by the time.

Stoick knew that one day Raghnall would be back for revenge, and the first person he would kill is Hiccup. That's why Stoick and Gobber never let Hiccup fight a dragon. They never know what kind of dragon Raghnall had turned into, because Green Death said the transformation isn't finished and it's going to take for a few months for him to fully transform into the breed of dragon Green Death changed him. And that makes every dragon a suspect.

Fourteen years later, Green Death gave Raghnall a task to steal from the Island of Berk, and that's a perfect chance for him to revenge his father. But then Hiccup shows up with a weird thing and shot him down, making him lose one of his tails. Raghnall was beyond mad, and was about to accept defeat when Hiccup is going to kill him. But instead, Hiccup freed him. Raghnall himself doesn't believe that the idiot is the new heir to the tribe. But now, after all that had happened, Raghnall concluded that the idiot is still his brother, and Hiccup is as innocent as Raghnall is back when he was banished. Raghnall's thought of Stoick, however, hasn't changed a bit. But he'll do anything to keep his little brother happy, so that's why he obeyed Hiccup and stopped when he was about to kill Stoick at the kill ring.

Stoick knew that it was Raghnall when they come face to face at the kill ring on Hiccup's final exam. Those hateful stare was the same stare as the ones Raghnall gave him on the day he was banished. That gave Stoick a reason to at least spare Raghnall's life until he find the dragon nest.

Raghnall sighed in defeat but still angry, and replied, _"Fine, I'll give you a chance to fix this. But if you ever hurt him again, I couldn't even choose what terrible things I can do to you. But I'm willing to give you a chance. Because I don't Hiccup to end up like me," _he said. Stoick nodded simply. _"Oh, and your Dragonese isn't too bad," _Stoick's eyes beamed with pride. If anyone beside Gobber had been there to hear the conversation, they would be surprised to know that Stoick can speak Dragonese.

"_Well, goodnight, son,"_

Raghnall was about to take a step to the stairs when he paused again and turns at Stoick. _"Dad," _he started, making Stoick's viking heart feels the happiness he had lost once. _"Call me Toothless,"_ Stoick smiled and nodded, before went to sleep and Toothless went upstairs to see his rider/little brother. Surprisingly, he smiled a bit in his sleep coma.

That night, Toothless sleeps peacefully next to Hiccup. His instict told him that Hiccup's going to wake up soon, so Toothless isn't going to leave the house anytime soon. He wanted to be the first face Hiccup sees when he wakes up.

That night, Toothless promised that he would spend the rest of his life to get to know his little brother and to protect him. And Toothless is sure that someday, Hiccup will be the greatest chief Berk ever had, and Toothless will be standing beside him with his gummy smile. That day when Hiccup found him, Hiccup had taught him about mercy, and how it can bring peace to your inner self if you're willing to understand the meanings.

A great chief needs to understand mercy and justice, something that Raghnall didn't possess when he was still a human. Toothless will forever be grateful to Hiccup. He had brought peace to him, and last but not the least, he always brings him the best fish on the island.

_The end_

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**A/N: Weird? OOC? Strange? Other words that means weird? Anyway, review! No flame please, cause flamers are only setting themselves on fire.**


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